


crimson snow

by DragonsAndCryptids



Series: FT one-shots [8]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, But here you go, Cannibalism, Character Death, Demon Slayer AU, Feral Behavior, Gen, Heavy Angst, basically gray as tanjirou and natsu as nezuko, but yeah you probably already knew that, it's essentially the plot of the first episode, oh yeah, there is NO reason for this except that i wanted it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29211747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonsAndCryptids/pseuds/DragonsAndCryptids
Summary: Gray has never believed the whispers of man-eating demons. Why should he? He'd never heard of any actual attacks, and he has better things to worry about. Until he finds his family slaughtered, and his best friend in a pool of his own blood.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster
Series: FT one-shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618369
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	crimson snow

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever stop putting Gray and Natsu in situations involving demons? Probably not, I have a niche unfortunately

“Gray! Come on!” Natsu clung onto him, shaking him slightly. “I wanna go with you! It’s  _ boring _ here without you.” 

Gray rolled his eyes, and grabbed Natsu’s wrists. “Dad needs help with the firewood. Besides, it’s just a day. I think you’ll be fine for a  _ day.” _

Natsu pouted, but backed away, the snow crunching around his feet. “You’re always the one who gets to go to town.” 

Gray just snorted. “It’s because  _ I’m _ well behaved. Mom trusts me not to terrorize anyone else, like  _ you _ do.” 

“I do not!” he protested. “You just like making me stay here because that means I get the boring chores!” 

“Oh, calm down, Natsu,” Gray said, turning on his heel, ready to begin the trek down the mountain. He needed to get going if he wanted to get back back dark. “Maybe you can come next time. But really, it’s cold, and you don’t do well in the cold.” 

Natsu growled and muttered something under his breath that Gray didn’t quite catch, but at least he stopped trying to argue. 

“Alright then. I’ll see you later.” He waved over his shoulder. 

“Be safe, Gray!” His mother called, leaning out of the door. 

“I know, I know.” He turned back around to smile at her. “I’ll be back soon, alright? Maybe I’ll be able to sell enough that I can finally buy Natsu some warmer clothes.” 

“I don’t need you to buy me anything!” Natsu exclaimed, stomping his foot and throwing his fists up. But despite his words, Gray could tell he was shivering, his clothes far too thin for living in the mountains. His friend had moved in with them about a year ago, after his own parents had died. Gray’s family didn’t have much money, so they weren’t able to get him the clothes, or materials to make them, for living up in the mountains like this. At first it hadn’t been a big deal; Natsu was a little smaller than Gray, so he’d just been wearing Gray’s old stuff. Except now he’d finally hit a growth spurt, so Gray’s old, warmer clothes weren’t fitting him anymore. It didn’t help that Natsu tried to insist he work and buy his own clothes, despite them telling him he didn’t have to do that. 

“Yeah, whatever,” Gray said, readjusting the basket on his shoulders. “I’ll see you later, alright?” 

“Okay…” 

* * *

Gray ended up stuck in town longer than he’d expected. On the bright side, he’d sold all the charcoal, meaning they’d have enough money for quite a few decent meals, and maybe Natsu some more clothes, assuming he could convince his stubborn friend to accept them. 

Though because he’d been in town so long, it was already dark. That wasn’t  _ horrible. _ He’d been up and down the mountain enough that he could still navigate it, even at night. The main issue was that it was even colder now that the sun had gone down. 

He shivered, and breathed into his hands, hoping to warm his aching fingers just a bit. 

“Gray!” 

Gray froze, turning to see the man waving at him from his open window. 

“You’re not walking all the way up the mountain in the dark, are you?” he asked. 

“Yeah, but I’ll be fine,” Gray said with a smile. “I’ve made the trip a lot. Besides, they’re expecting me back tonight.” 

“You can’t do that!” he exclaimed. “It’s dangerous! The demons come out after dark, you know.” 

Gray frowned. He knew there was no such thing as demons. Or if there were, they weren’t anything like the stories. But he also remembered the stories about this man’s whole family dying. Shit… what was his name? “Really, I’ll be fine—” he attempted to assure him. He really didn’t want to stay in town overnight. His mother would worry, and he’d have to listen to Natsu’s complaining for  _ days. _

“No, no, I insist,” he said. “Come on, I’ll get the door. It’s not safe for you out there.” 

Gray sighed, and looked towards the path ahead. He supposed it  _ would _ be a bad idea to attempt the hike back, especially considering it would take a few hours. It was just going to get colder, and he could admit he was tired. “Yeah, alright, fine.” 

* * *

Gray was rushing up the mountain as soon as the sun had risen, excuses and apologies already building on his tongue. He was sure his mother wouldn’t be angry, once he told her what happened. Honestly, she probably would have been more angry if he’d walked up the mountain in the dark rather than staying in town. Natsu would probably give him hell over it, though. 

The sun wasn’t shining as brightly today, and the wind was biting. It wouldn’t surprise Gray if it snowed more tonight, possibly even a blizzard, considering the way the sky was darkening. He hoped he managed to get home before it hit. 

Thankfully, he got back home before it was even midday, though his lungs and throat burned with the icy air, and his legs were sore. 

He emerged from the trees, a relieved smile on his face as he spotted his home. Until he noticed Natsu lying in the snow, just outside the front door. 

“Natsu, what the hell are you doing?” Gray let the empty basket fall from his shoulders. “Get up! You’ll catch a cold, laying in the snow like th…” The words died in his throat as he got closer, as he noticed the  _ red _ soaking into the snow beneath Natsu. 

“Natsu!” Gray rushed forward, panic unfurling in his chest as he fell to his knees next to his friend. He dared to roll him over, and he had to fight back a retch as he saw the gaping tears in his chest and abdomen, with blood still sluggishly leaking from the massive wounds. “Mom! Dad! Natsu is—” He whipped around, the despair flooding through him only growing thicker as he realized the door had practically been destroyed, as he saw all the blood splattered around the interior of the house, saw his parents… his parents… 

Were in  _ pieces. _ Bloody chunks of them decorated the walls, the furniture, everything in sight. Gray could hardly tell them apart, though that might have been due to the tears blurring his vision as he _screamed._

Dead. His parents were  _ dead. _

What the hell could have even  _ done _ this? Some kind of wild animal? It had to be. They’d been  _ mauled, _ butchered, all while Gray had been safe, warm, sleeping soundly. 

Despite the panic and sorrow muddling his thoughts, his hands flew to Natsu’s neck. His body was still mostly intact. There was a chance, a  _ chance, _ that he might still be—

Gray gasped as he felt a pulse, though weak and thready.

“Thank you,” he sobbed as he fell on top of Natsu. “Thank you!” He hadn’t lost everyone, he still had Natsu. He could still  _ save him. _

But not if he didn’t get him help soon. Natsu wasn’t going to last much longer with wounds like those, and if the blood on the ground was indeed all his, he’d lost far too much of it. “Come on.” As gently as he possibly could, Gray maneuvered him around so he could pick him up and carry him on his back. “I’ve got you, I’m going to save you. I  _ promise.”  _

He cringed as Natsu’s blood soaked into the back of his coat, hot and burning. But it didn’t matter. He had to get him down to the village and to a doctor as quickly as he possibly could. He stumbled the first few steps, trying to adjust Natsu’s weight so he could more easily carry him. “Just hang in there,” he said. “Please. Please, you have to!” 

Natsu’s shallow breaths tickled the back of Gray’s neck, and he took what little comfort he could in that, praying that those breaths never stopped. 

He grabbed the hatchet lying a few feet away and clipped it to his belt, just in case whatever had done this was still out there, so he wouldn’t be completely defenseless if it attacked again, and he took off back down the path, as quickly as he possibly could without jostling Natsu around too much and making his injuries even worse. 

He’d barely made it a few steps when the snow started to fall. “Dammit, not now!” he sobbed. Not when he needed to move as fast as possible, when the  _ last _ thing Natsu needed was to get even colder. Briefly, he considered just staying at the house, and trying to help Natsu’s injuries himself. He had basic first aid skills, and even though the door was ruined and his parents were… it was still  _ shelter. _

But he shook his head. Natsu would need more than Gray’s ability to bandage wounds and stitch up the most basic of cuts if he was even going to have a  _ chance. _ There was no choice other than to try getting him to a doctor. 

“I’ve got you,” Gray promised as he stumbled back down the mountain, ignoring the snow biting at his cheeks and getting stuck in his hair and eyelashes. “Just hold on. I swear, I’m going to save you.” 

He thought he might have felt Natsu twitch, but played it off as his desperate imagination. 

The falling snow made the paths more treacherous, made seeing ahead harder, but Gray refused to slow down, even when he reached the narrower sections and falling became a more serious danger. 

A hand gripped his shoulder, so tightly it hurt, and a strange, nearly  _ feral _ noise came from Natsu. 

“Natsu?” Gray gasped, twisting as Natsu jerked, before yelping as his foot slipped out from underneath him, snow flying up around him as they tumbled off the edge of the path. He lost his grip on Natsu, and the breath was knocked out of him as he landed flat on his back. 

He stared up at the gray sky, the snow falling even thicker. He wheezed, trying to get his breath back. Gods, that fall might have killed him, if there weren’t so much snow on the ground to help cushion him. 

“Natsu?” he coughed. He forced himself up, glancing around wildly for his friend. That fall was the  _ last _ thing he’d needed right now, and if that was the thing that had been too much, that had… 

Gray would never forgive himself. 

“Natsu!” he exclaimed. He blinked the snow out of his eyes, realizing that Natsu was  _ awake, _ that he was standing a few feet away, the blood dripping from his clothes and staining the snow, his bangs covering his eyes. “Natsu, you shouldn’t be up! You’ll make your injuries worse!” Gray scrambled to his feet and held his hands out. “Let me carry you back to town, alright?” 

Natsu lunged, faster than should have been possible with his chest and stomach torn open. Gray threw himself to the side, just barely dodging the hand swiping towards his throat. Natsu didn’t give him the time to recover his footing before he was attacking again, barreling into him and knocking him back into the snow. 

“Natsu, what the hell are you doing!?” Gray demanded, weaseling his way out from underneath his friend, not wanting to hurt him any further by actually hitting him back. “You need  _ help! _ You need—” His jaw snapped shut, and uncomfortable tingles raced through every bone in his body as his eyes met Natsu’s. 

He was  _ wrong. _ Something about him was  _ wrong. _ He crouched in the snow, almost like a wild animal ready to pounce, one clawed hand raised. He bared sharpened teeth, a guttural growling noise thrumming from his chest. His pupils had shrank to slits, and those terrible eyes had Gray pinned. 

“H-Hey…” Instinctively, Gray reached for his hatchet, as much as he hated it. But his entire being was screaming at him, warning him of this  _ threat _ right in front of him. “Come on, Natsu. Snap out of it.” 

He lunged, claws splayed, jaws opened wide, those fangs aiming right for Gray’s neck. 

Gray threw the hatchet out, shoving it inside Natsu’s mouth, using every ounce of strength he had to try pushing his friend back as he was shoved to the ground. 

The rough wood splintered around Natsu’s newfound fangs, and his claws sank into Gray’s shoulders. He had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out in pain as blood was drawn. 

A deep haze overtook Natsu’s eyes as Gray’s blood leaked into the snow, and saliva dripped down his chin. 

_ He… he wants to  _ eat me! Gray realized with horror. His best friend had practically become a starved animal, and were it not for the hatchet keeping Natsu’s teeth away from his throat, Gray would have been a meal already. 

The horrifying possibility that  _ Natsu _ might have been the one to kill his parents crashed into Gray, but he quickly shoved it away. Natsu had been hurt, nearly dead, and there was no blood on his teeth or face. Whatever this was… whatever had become of him… Natsu hadn’t been the one to hurt them. 

“Natsu, please!” Gray pleaded. His arms shook as Natsu shoved against the hatchet, his angry snarling only growing louder. “Please don’t do this! I’m sorry! I’m sorry I left you alone!” 

The wood began to splinter and groan, and slowly, Natsu began to gain more ground, leaving just a few inches between his face and Gray’s. 

“Please…” he sobbed. “I can’t lose you, too!” He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to the side, the freezing snow pressing against his cheek. 

This wasn’t a fight he was going to win. Whatever had happened to Natsu, had made him stronger. Gray could feel it in the way he’d been pinned. There was no way he was going to switch their positions. Any second now, Natsu was going to over power him, and then those claws and fangs were going to tear him to pieces, just like his family. 

Something warm dripped onto Gray’s face. 

His eyes snapped open, and he stared up at Natsu, watching as tears dripped from his eyes and fell onto Gray’s cheeks. The growling morphed into something more resembling a sob, but despite the heartbreak in Natsu’s eyes, he didn’t stop pushing against the hatchet. 

Gray wanted nothing more than to reach a hand up and comfort his friend, to assure him that everything was going to be okay. He hadn’t seen so much pain in Natsu’s expression since his own family had died. But he knew the second he removed one of his hands from the hatchet’s handle, it was all over. 

“It’s okay,” Gray told him, doing his best to smile through the tears. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” 

It was a lie. Of course it was. Nothing was ever going to be okay again. 

“You don’t want to hurt me, I know you don’t,” he continued. “You’re— You’re just confused, and hurt.” 

Natsu jerked back, and for a single, amazing second, Gray thought he’d gotten through to him, that he was going to back off, and they could talk, and figure out what the hell had happened and what Gray could do to help him. 

But then Natsu shoved him and dove to the side, leaving a sword to cleave into the ground where they’d been laying, a fraction of a second before. 

“Natsu!” Gray threw himself over him, despite his squirming and angry growling, and glared up at the owner of the sword. 

The woman scoffed, and stood to her full height, holding the blade out. “Back away from it,” she said, her voice leaving no room for argument. 

“No.” Gray grabbed Natsu’s shoulders and pulled his thrashing body into his lap. He knew damn well who that sword had been meant for, and it hadn’t been himself. “He’s my friend.” 

She rolled her eyes. “So you knew it before? It doesn’t matter. Whatever,  _ whoever, _ that thing used to be is gone now. Now move out of the way so I can kill it, before it kills someone else.” 

“No!” He held Natsu tighter, trying to hold him still, while also avoiding the swiping claws. “Natsu, please, please calm down.” He didn’t have the slightest idea who that red-haired woman was, but Gray could sense he would never win in a fight against her. Which meant his only option was to  _ beg _ her to leave Natsu alone, as pathetic as it felt, but his friend wasn’t helping their case by struggling and snarling like this. 

The woman narrowed her eyes, and marched towards them, her sword already pulled back for another swing. 

Gray gasped and reached for his hatchet, before cursing as he realized it laid a few feet away in the snow, tossed over after his struggle against Natsu. Not to mention that the handle was practically destroyed, and it probably wouldn’t last more than a few swings before it broke completely. 

“You’re not taking him from me!” he shouted, clinging to Natsu’s torso, dimly noting that all his wounds seemed to have disappeared. “I won’t let you!” It didn’t matter if all he was was some angry, snarling, monster. Natsu was all he had left! And Gray would protect him no matter what he was. 

But Natsu disappeared from his hold, like he’d never been there at all. All that was left for Gray to grasp was cold air and snowflakes. “Huh?” 

The swordswoman stood a few feet away, one of her hands holding Natsu’s arms behind his back, even as he tried to twist and snap at her, and Gray wondered how  _ strong _ she was. He’d just barely been able to hold Natsu back, and she was able to restrain him with a  _ single hand. _ But that only cemented that this was not a person he would ever be able to win a fight against. 

“Do you really not understand what  _ this _ is?” she asked, giving Natsu a jostle. 

Gray got back to his feet, his eyes briefly flicking over to the hatchet. “He’s my friend,” he said firmly. 

_ “This—”  _ She swung her sword. 

_ “No!”  _ Gray yelped. 

She stopped, just before the blade connected with Natsu’s neck, but she left it to rest just beneath his chin. “This is a man-eating demon. And had I not gotten here when I had, you would have become his meal.” 

Natsu didn’t seem to care for the sword at his neck at all, still thrashing and trying to escape, and that feral gleam in his eyes was back. 

“No, no, he wouldn’t,” Gray insisted, trying but failing to keep the tremor out of his voice. “I  _ know _ he wouldn’t. You c-can’t take him from me. He’s  _ all I have left!” _ he cried, more tears dripping down his cheeks. “Please…” He nearly fell to his knees, not above begging her to spare Natsu. “I—I don’t care if he’s a demon. I don’t have—” He choked on his words. “I don’t have a family anymore, he was the only one that survived!” 

If she felt even a scrap of sympathy for him, she didn’t show it. “He  _ didn’t _ survive!” she snapped. “He died the moment a demon’s blood got into his wounds and transformed him. I am simply putting him out of his misery, and protecting all the humans he would have eaten.” 

“But—” 

“Look at this!” she practically roared, thrusting Natsu forward. “You cannot convince me that this is not a feral animal, consumed by hunger, and willing to do  _ anything _ for food. Demons don’t  _ care _ for who they used to be! The second they are turned, it all becomes meaningless. Families, friends, it doesn’t  _ matter. _ You’re all just  _ food _ to them!  _ You _ are food to  _ him! _ If I let him go, you’ll likely be his first victim, and he’ll gorge himself on you, and countless other victims, before he comes back to his senses. But even then, he will not be what he used to! He’ll be a twisted thing, consumed only with thoughts of his next meal and gaining power, do you  _ understand!?” _

“You’re wrong…” Gray whispered hoarsely. “You’re  _ wrong!” _ He’d seen it in Natsu’s eyes. He hadn’t wanted to hurt him. He hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone. Wild animals didn’t cry over their prey. Evil beings didn’t cry at all. “He won’t do that! And I’ll find a way to change him back anyways!” 

“Change him back?” she asked, her voice ringing with disbelief. “That’s naive. There is no way to return a demon to being human.” 

“Well what do you know!?” he wailed, unable to keep even a semblance of composure anymore. “What do you know about  _ any _ of this!? Just give him back to me!” He wanted to rush forward and snatch Natsu back, but he was scared the second he took even a step closer, that sword would plunge into his friend’s throat. 

“What do I know?” she asked. “I am Erza Scarlet, a demon slayer, and I know  _ far _ more about this than you, I assure you. Now enough of this.” Her grip on her sword tightened, and she pulled it back, preparing for another swing, and Gray knew this one would not stop. “I will end this right now.” 

_ “NO!”  _ Gray didn’t even bother going for the hatchet. He didn’t have time, and what good would it do anyways? Likely all attacking Erza would do would be getting himself killed too, but at least then he’d be with his family again. He pulled his fist back, aiming a hit right on her jaw. 

She dodged the blow easily, merely leaning to the side, that slightly irritated expression never leaving her face. He nearly fell on top of her, his momentum carrying him forward without anything to actually hit, and the hilt of her sword slammed down between his shoulder blades, leaving him to crumple into a heap by her feet. 

Natsu finally went still, his eyes widening and the snarling fading. 

“Look, I am sorry,” Erza said. “Truly, I am. If only I’d gotten here a little sooner, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. But I don’t think you understand, and I don’t have the time to try and explain it to you.” 

Gray’s entire body tingled, and his limbs felt so heavy, useless, but he refused to just  _ give up _ and let her kill Natsu. He dragged himself forward, snow crunching in his freezing fingers. “Don’t… touch him…” He grabbed at her foot, hoping to throw her balance off or even pull her leg out from underneath her. 

“Just stay  _ down!” _ she hissed, kicking him away and leaving him to roll through the snow. 

He wheezed for breath, and for the first time that day it was pain that made him cry. 

While she was distracted, Natsu managed to wrench himself out of her hold, shaking her off and leaping towards Gray. 

“Fuck!” Erza shouted, both her hands on her sword now as she lunged. 

Gray squeezed his eyes shut, biting back sobs as his shoulders shook. He couldn’t watch this, couldn’t watch Natsu  _ die. _

A few seconds passed, and all Gray could hear were fearsome snarls, not the disgusting hacking of a sword cleaving through his friend. 

He forced his eyes open, and Natsu kneeled in front of him, his arms held out, like he was… like he was  _ protecting _ Gray. 

Even through the haze of pain, Gray smiled. “I knew it was still you…” he murmured, using every bit of strength he had to lift his head up. 

Erza towered over them, her sword still pulled back for a fatal strike, but she hesitated, and for the first time, something other than irritation and contempt shown in her eyes. Confusion, then realization, and maybe something close to awe. “He’s… protecting you…” 

Gray wanted to tell Natsu to run while she was distracted. She didn’t seem to want to actually hurt Gray, she’d only done so when he’d not given her an option, so Natsu getting somewhere safe was far more important than trying to protect Gray, even if the gesture meant more than he could ever articulate. 

But he didn’t get the chance. The last thing he saw before passing out was Erza delivering a blow to Natsu’s neck, and his friend falling next to him. 

* * *

The second Gray woke up, he clutched a handful of Natsu’s bloody clothes, half expecting to find him dead by Erza’s hand. He nearly sobbed in relief when he saw the slight rise and fall of Natsu’s chest. “Natsu…?” Were it not for the fact that he was lying in the snow, and that his friend was still covered in blood, he might have thought the whole thing was an awful dream. 

“You awake?” 

Gray jerked up, meeting Erza’s gaze from where she watched them a few feet away, leaned against a tree with her arms crossed. 

“You… you didn’t kill him,” was all Gray could think to say.  _ “Thank you.”  _

“What’s your name?” she asked. 

“Gray Fullbuster.” He turned back to Natsu, checking him over to make sure he wasn’t harmed. Despite noticing it earlier, he double-checked to make sure the tears in his torso had been healed. He looked so peaceful asleep, nothing like the enraged, dangerous creature he had been earlier. Were it not for the bamboo muzzle in his mouth or blood covering his clothes, he would have looked completely normal. “Why did you muzzle him?” he asked. “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“Gray, do you understand the significance of what just happened?” Erza asked. “The significance of a demon  _ protecting _ someone, a  _ human, _ at that?”

“He just protected me,” he replied. “Natsu protects me all the time.” They’d had each other’s backs for as long as he remembered. 

“I’m not going to say he’s not your Natsu,” she said. “Because somehow, someway… some human part of him remained. But he was still a starving demon. Newly transformed demons are  _ ravenous. _ The change takes a lot of energy, not to mention he’d been severely injured and had to heal himself. I’d let my guard down, you were defenseless. By all means, he should have  _ devoured _ you.” 

Gray’s fingers curled tighter into Natsu’s clothes. 

“But instead he decided to try and protect you from me.” She shook her head, like she couldn’t believe what she was saying. “It’s unheard of. But… it did convince me that he isn’t going to eat anyone.” 

“Then why the muzzle—?” he began. 

“Because, whether you want to admit it or not, he  _ is _ a demon,” she said. “He’s going to scare others, he’s going to have the urge to eat, even if he doesn’t want to. That muzzle will prevent him from baring his fangs, an extra line of defense should he lose himself for a moment.” 

Gray brushed Natsu’s hair back from his face, wishing for the thousandth time that he hadn’t left, or that he’d let Natsu come with him. “He won’t be able to talk to me… Can’t we take it off when it’s just us? I trust him.” 

Erza shrugged. “I can’t stop you. That choice is yours. But I don’t think he’s going to be doing much talking with or without the muzzle.” 

Worry ate at Gray. Sure, of course he’d realized that Natsu hadn’t said an actual word since this had started, but he’d hoped it was just due to that ravenous hunger, and once it was under control he would… well he’d be back to normal, more or less. “Is he really… really just… like some kind of animal?” 

“Yes and no,” Erzaa said. “Like I said before, demons are absolutely ravenous when they are first turned, and it’s only after they’ve consumed several humans that they start to regain themselves. If he truly never eats anyone, he may well be… quite different than what you’re used to. Once… If… I don’t know, but when the hunger fades, I’m guessing he’ll be able to communicate somewhat. At the least he’ll understand  _ you, _ but I doubt he’ll be doing much speaking in return. At least for the time being.” 

“Okay…” Gray wished he knew literally  _ anything _ about demons. Knew anyway to help Natsu. “How do I cure him?” 

“I’ve never heard of a way, and no one else in the demon slayer corps has either,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Though if I had to guess, if anyone knows, it will be other demons. However, they’re not going to tell you out of the kindness of their hearts. You’re going to have to fight.” 

“That’s fine,” Gray said through clenched teeth. He could fight. He’d fight every demon in the world if it meant making Natsu human again, if it meant avenging his parents. 

“Right. Well, if you’re serious about this, then go to Mount Sagiri,” she said. “There’s a woman there, Ur Milkovich. Tell her I sent you, alright? She’ll teach you about demon slaying.” 

Gray nodded. “Right.” 

“And it’s fine right now because it’s cloudy.” Erza glanced up at the sky. “But do not let him out in the sun, understand me? He’ll burn up in the blink of an eye.” 

He let out a shaky breath. It was such a small thing, compared to everything else that had happened, but to take the sunlight away from Natsu felt cruel. He’d always been so warm, always enjoyed basking in the sun’s rays, and now he would be confined to darkness. But there was nothing that could be done about that. “Alright.” 

“Good luck,” Erza said, before vanishing, like she’d never been there at all. 

Gray turned his attention back to Natsu, picking him up despite his entire body aching. They would depart for that mountain as soon as possible, but he wasn’t going anywhere until he’d given his parents some kind of burial. “Come on, Natsu. Let’s go home.”

* * *

Natsu had started squirming as Gray approached the house. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, it had probably been the scent of blood that had woken him. “Hey…” Gently, he placed him down on the ground, just as he opened his eyes. “I’m… I’m gonna bury Mom and Dad. If it’s too much for you, you don’t have to help.” 

Natsu blinked, like he was trying to process his words, before he threw himself at Gray, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his chest, soft, quiet sobs coming from him. 

“I know, I know…” He rubbed soothing circles on his back. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t here, I’m sorry I left you.”  _ It’s my fault this happened to you. I should have let you go, and I should have been the one here instead.  _ “Here.” He reached to undo the muzzle. “That demon slayer insisted, but you only have to wear it around other people—” 

Natsu jerked back, his hands flying up to touch the muzzle, and he shook his head. 

“No? You  _ want _ to wear it?” 

He nodded. 

“I… okay.” Was he worried about accidentally hurting someone? About trying to attack Gray again? “But I want you to know that I trust you. I promise I do. No matter what happens.” 

Natsu made a soft noise, and Gray realized he already missed hearing his voice. 

* * *

It took several hours to bury his parents. Natsu had insisted on helping dig the graves, but had refused to go anywhere near the bodies or even back inside the bloody house. But Gray couldn’t find it in himself to blame him. If what Erza said was true, it was basically like placing a full course meal in front of someone starving to death but telling them they weren’t allowed to eat it. Gray had ended up going inside to find some fresh clothes for Natsu, too, not wanting to let him travel in the ones coated in blood. 

Burying his parents was… easier than Gray had expected. Maybe it was because he’d already cried so much already. Or maybe it was because they… didn’t feel like his parents. Maybe if the bodies were still intact it would have been harder. Not that he wanted it to be. 

Natsu stood silently at the edge of the graves, watching Gray with sad eyes. It was strange, him being so eerily quiet. Especially after Natsu had always been so loud and talkative, but Gray supposed he was just going to have to get used to it.

He stared at the finished graves, unsure of what to do now that the bodies were buried. Should he say something? It felt wrong to just leave, but he didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t want to stay here, in this place of death and carnage, any longer than he had to. Not to mention Natsu was probably miserable, smelling all the human blood. And they need to get going, needed to find this Ur Milkovich, so Gray could actually start looking for a cure. 

“Come on.” Gray held his hand out. “We should go.” 

Gently, Natsu took his hand, careful of his claws. 

Gray took a deep breath, and led his friend away from their old home. 

**Author's Note:**

> idk if I will ever do anything else with this. I have a few Tentative ideas for where it would go after this? But atm yeah this is all I've got


End file.
